West–east diversification model explains pattern phylogeography of the Band-tailed Manakin Pipra fasciicauda

Birds are the vertebrate group most used in studies that attempts to decipher the events that have molded the diversification of the Amazonian biota. However, inconsistencies related to the existence of polytypic species, associated with the limited samples available for many regions, hamper the accurate reconstruction of phylogeographic patterns. In particular, no molecular study has yet included all the subspecific taxa currently recognized in the Band-tailed Manakin, Pipra fasciicauda . This species encompasses a complex of subspecies differentiated by their morphological traits and distinct regional distributions. The present study investigated the current taxonomic and phylogeographic configuration of P. fasciicauda using a multilocus molecular approach to decipher the biogeographic events that determined the diversification of this group. This analysis included all the recognized subspecies, sampled widely throughout their respective areas of occurrence. The molecular data indicate the existence of three monophyletic lineages that coincide only partially with the current subspecific classification of the group. Lineage 1 grouped all the specimens of the subspecies Pipra fasciicauda purusiana and Pipra fasciicauda saturata . Lineage 2 was composed of the individuals of Pipra fasciicauda fasciicauda and Pipra fasciicauda calamae , while lineage 3 was formed by the specimens of Pipra fasciicauda scarlatina . Lineage 1 was estimated to have diverged from the other lineages by around 0.43 Mya, while lineages 2 and 3 would have separated by 0.17 Mya, which indicates that their current phylogeographic configuration was determined by events occurring during the middle Pleistocene. The demographic analyses revealed a process of recent geographic expansion, with dispersal events molding the gene flow among lineages. As observed in other bird taxa, the diversification of P. fasciicauda has been associated with the hydrographic dynamics of the Amazon basin, together with climatic shifts, which have combined to determine the differentiation of the populations from west to east within the basin.